,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bbbf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #i1 #bjbe,mr4 ,cotton introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,environment and ,public ,works ,a ,,bill ,to exempt the ,department of ,defense from certain environmental protection activities4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,necessary ,environmental ,exemptions for ,defense ,act4 #b4 ,exemption of activities of ,department of ,defense from certain environmental protection laws 7a7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 the ,department of ,defense 7in this section referred to as the ,department7 must operate with maximum agility and efficiency to ensure it is prepared to deter and1 if necessary1 fight and win a conflict with the ,chinese ,communist ,party2 7#b7 the ,national ,environmental ,policy ,act of #aifi 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcba et seq471 the ,endangered ,species ,act of #aigc 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #aeca et seq471 the ,marine ,mammal ,protection ,act of #aigb 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #acfa et seq471 and the ,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act 7#cc ,u4,s4,c4 #abea et seq47 frequently and unnecessarily delay the readiness and operations of the ,armed ,forces without substantial benefit to the environment or protected species2 and 7#c7 national defense takes precedence over all administrative processes that might otherwise hinder the timely execution of defense-related activities4 7b7 ,exemption ,the ,department and any component1 contractor1 or designee of the ,department shall be exempt from any requirement under the ,national ,environmental ,policy ,act of #aifi 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcba et seq471 the ,endangered ,species ,act of #aigc 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #aeca et seq471 the ,marine ,mammal ,protection ,act of #aigb 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #acfa et seq471 and the ,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act 7#cc ,u4,s4,c4 #abea et seq47 for all activities1 operations1 permits1 and projects conducted for the following purposes1 if the ,president or the ,secretary of ,defense 7in this section referred to as the ,secretary7 certifies the activity is directly related to countering the threat of the ,chinese ,communist ,party to the ,united ,states3 7#a7 ,readiness1 training1 or operations of the ,armed ,forces4 7#b7 ,construction1 maintenance1 expansion1 or repair of facilities or infrastructure of the ,department4 7#c7 ,deployment1 development1 testing1 or production of technologies1 systems1 or equipment of the ,department4 7#d7 ,deployment1 development1 testing1 or production of commercial technologies1 systems1 or equipment related to an agreement1 grant1 or contract with the ,department1 the timely completion of which directly contributes to a critical national security interest of the ,united ,states4 7c7 ,no alternative compliance obligations ,except for any environmental mitigations the ,secretary may determine are appropriate-- 7#a7 no ,federal1 ,state1 or local environmental review process may be required as a substitute or replacement for compliance with the provisions of law exempted under subsection 7b72 and 7#b7 no ,federal1 ,state1 or local authority may require environmental evaluations for activities1 operations1 permits1 or projects for which similar evaluations are exempted under subsection 7b74 7d7 ,review of environmental best practices ,not later than #e years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and not less frequently than every #e years thereafter1 the ,secretary shall review best practices for environmental mitigations and update the policy of the ,department as necessary to reflect changes in priorities of the ,department and advancements in environmental practices4 7e7 ,judicial preclusion ,no court shall have jurisdiction to review1 enjoin1 or otherwise restrain any designation1 activity1 operation1 permit1 or project certification carried out or any determination made by the ,department that is covered under subsection 7b74 7f7 ,retroactive application ,this section shall apply to any activity1 operation1 or project described in subsection 7b7 that is ongoing as of the date of the enactment of this ,act and shall nullify any legal action or administrative proceeding pending as of such date relating to compliance with the ,national ,environmental ,policy ,act of #aifi 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcba et seq471 the ,endangered ,species ,act of #aigc 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #aeca et seq471 the ,marine ,mammal ,protection ,act of #aigb 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #acfa et seq471 or the ,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act 7#cc ,u4,s4,c4 #abea et seq47 in connection with such activity1 operation1 or project4